The End and New Beginning of Manta Oyamada
by Steve-Otaku
Summary: Story Renovated Feb. 2...ch. 4 is now up. A joke goes bad, and Manta might end up...
1. Default Chapter

Due to popular demand, and very persistant reviewers, I've decided to reanimate my fic. It's about my favorite SK character: Manta, of course! It's a little early, but what happens when an April Fools joke hits much harder than it was intended to? Some angst and maybe some humor will come into play...either way, let's get the fic started...  
  
:: ::= Thoughts  
  
I don't own Shaman King and I never will... (sob)  
  
"Where the hell are you, you little bastard?!"  
  
A voice echoed through the halls of the Oyamada household. Manta's father was not a man to cross, particularly when he was drunk. Which is, to say, when he wasn't sleeping. Manta was 10 minutes late for his curfew, and his father wouldn't stand for disobedience.  
  
"Hiding will only make it worse!!"  
  
The man began to throw the chairs in the kitchen into the wall, cracking the old house's peeling drywall. Upstairs, a small body flinched in a closet.  
  
::Why did I let Yoh talk me into staying out?::  
  
"I'm not going easy on you this time!!"  
  
Manta shuddered.  
  
::Please, God, don't let him find me again. Please, God, don't let him find me again.::  
  
Manta Oyamada hadn't ever had life easy. When his mother died in childbirth, his father became a depressed man. Ever since then, Manta had suffered beatings, neglect, and malnutrition. That was why he'd never grown past his tiny height. Yoh had never asked about it, and whenever he mentioned meeting Manta's family, Manta quickly changed the subject. Yoh always just figured that maybe his family embarassed him, so he didn't press it.  
  
The footsteps of the angry man downstairs had come up. Manta was still thinking his mantra over and over. So many times did he repeat it that he eventually tuned out to the sounds outside his door. A mistake.  
  
The door was pulled open with such force that two of the hinges came off. Manta's father landed four kicks and a punch on the boy. He then picked the small boy up by the collar. Manta did everything he could to not cry...but the tears came against his will.  
  
"You're worthless, you sniveling little wimp. You'll never amount to anything."  
  
Manta sniffled, trying his hardest not to bawl.  
  
"You don't have any friends, and never will. No one cares about you! Remember that!"  
  
Manta's father snickered, then tossed the boy with brute force into the wall, cracking what sounded like was more than one rib. As the attacker turned and left, he added in a sinister voice:  
  
"Good night...SON."  
  
As Manta struggled to breathe, he let himself pained laugh, letting himself remember an important fact.  
  
::You're wrong. I do have friends. They're the best friends that anyone could ever have.::  
  
Manta got up the strength to climb into his bed and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
********************The Next Day: April 1******************  
  
//Yoh's Inn//  
  
Yoh woke up to a bad feeling, and he knew what it was.  
  
"Amidamaru, stop with the sleep paralysis! I'm awake, okay?"  
  
The specter only visible to those with the sixth sense loomed over the raven-haired kid. He was the classical historic samurai, both in manner and dress. Yoh's very first ghost partner.  
  
"I apologize, Lord Yoh, but you asked me to get you up before Lord Manta came over. And since Lady Anna has gone to visit her parents, I'm the only one that could do it."  
  
This caused Yoh to bold upright.  
  
"Manta isn't here yet, is he?!"  
  
"No, he shouldn't be by for about 10 minutes. What's the matter, Lord Yoh?"  
  
The shaman-in-training sighed with relief.  
  
"Good, I have a plan for today."  
  
The samurai looked confused.  
  
"What are you talking about, Lord Yoh?"  
  
Yoh pulled out a magazine he'd bought a few days ago.  
  
"I read that in other countries, the first day of April is a day for practical jokes. I thought we'd get Manta. He could use a better sense of humor."  
  
"Just what did you have in mind?"  
  
"Nothing too special. I want to really freak him out."  
  
Yoh paused, and thought for a minute.  
  
"Manta doesn't seem to have any other friends besides us, correct?"  
  
"It would seem that way, Lord Yoh."  
  
"Well, let's pretend like we hate him. He'll be so shocked that he'll faint!"  
  
The ghost seemed to frown, expressing concern.  
  
"That doesn't seem like a very kind thing to do to a friend, Lord Yoh."  
  
"It's just a joke. We'll give him a few hours then go tell him. I'll even take him out for ice cream, okay?"  
  
The specter sighed, knowing he couldn't get out of helping.  
  
"As you command, Lord Yoh."  
  
//Street two blocks from the inn//  
  
A boy with bandages on his face and under his shirt walked along a quiet street towards the home of his friends. He'd been lucky enough his father had been sleeping in, so he was able to get out with the first aid kit he'd kept outside in the shed for years. It helped him avoid suspicions of his teachers and peers. He'd gotten very proficient at setting his ribs and wrapping any injuries he might have. If anyone ever noticed, he just lied about being clumsy and falling down somewhere.  
  
::At least now I'm away from that drunkard...today should be better than yesterday.::  
  
He reached the old inn that Yoh and Anna rented. Struggling to walk with his injuries, not being helped by his out-of-shape physique, he berated himself:  
  
::I'm lucky a loser like me has good friends. Without Yoh and Amidamaru, I don't know what I'd do...::  
  
He reached the door of the apartment, not even vaguely suspecting what happened inside would change his life forever...  
  
To be continued...  
  
I know, everyone hates cliffhangers. But the next chapter will be much better, I promise.  
  
Until then, R+R and even Flame if you wish! I love all feedback. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews thusfar. This chapter's going to be a bit darker, and hopefully, better. Since they're playing an April Fools joke on Manta, Yoh and Amidamaru will be OOC for the first part of this chapter, but that's to be expected.  
  
Ok, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
A knocking came to the door of the inn, causing Yoh to snap to attention.  
  
"Manta's here. You know the plan, Amidamaru? Are you sure you're ready?"  
  
"I still disapprove, Lord Yoh, but I am ready to do your bidding."  
  
With the samurai's response, Yoh walked over and opened the door to look down at Manta.  
  
"Oh, it's you, Manta. Come on in, I guess."  
  
Manta, glad to be among friends again, came in and sat down next to Amidamaru.  
  
"So, guys, what did you have planned today?" Manta asked with unusual enthusiasm. He was just so glad to be away from his father that his happiness got the best of him.  
  
Yoh's mouth turned into a evil snicker.  
  
"Why do you care, you stupid runt? It's not like you're coming with us. Right, Amidamaru?"  
  
"Of course we wouldn't let a tiny weakling like Peasant Manta come along, he would just slow us down." the samurai added, with a hint of reluctance that was unnoticed by anyone else.  
  
Manta, at this point, didn't believe what he heard, thinking he must have some kind of hearing problem from his father's beating. Very nervously, he asked:  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Amidamaru responded:  
  
"You heard us, weakling boy. Go find some real friends."  
  
And then, switching to a sarcastic tone, Yoh added:  
  
"Oh, that's right, he can't. No one cares about him enough to notice he exists."  
  
Manta, at this point, was struggling to keep tears from surfacing.  
  
"Wh-wh-what are you guys saying? What's the matter with you?!"  
  
Yoh responded.  
  
"We finally realized just how much we don't need you. I don't understand how such a worthless person even has sixth sense. Go away, Manta."  
  
"B-b-but..."  
  
Amidamaru yelled at Manta:  
  
"Don't talk back to a lord, peasant!"  
  
Yoh finished his assault.  
  
"We don't want to see you anymore, Manta. We hate you!"  
  
Amidamaru added:  
  
"Goodbye...WEAKLING."  
  
These last words struck a memory in Manta's mind. It was the same tone of voice his father had used the night before. The pain...the terrible pain...Manta's head reeled at this newest information...if he had no friends...and no one cared about him...then his father was right, wasn't he?  
  
::If I'm worthless, is life worth living?::  
  
This self-inflection had caused Manta to zone out. Yoh and Amidamaru yelled at him, snapping him out of his trance.  
  
"Aren't you leaving yet?!"  
  
Manta couldn't stand listening to his ex-friends prove that his father was right...he had to get away.  
  
"I can't take this anymore!" Manta screamed.  
  
With that, he rushed out of the apartment, tears streaming down his face, trying as best he could to push his tiny body as fast as it could go. He knew of only one place he could go that might help him. He ran towards the cemetary on the other side of town, the small one that Yoh didn't know about.  
  
Meanwhile, back in the inn...  
  
"Oh yeah, we freaked the hell out of him!"  
  
Yoh was jubilant, but Amidamaru was concerned.  
  
"I don't think that was a good idea, Lord Yoh. He seemed very saddened."  
  
"Aww, Manta's just like that. Let's give him an hour to mope, then we'll go take him out for ice cream. I'll even let him choose a movie to rent!"  
  
Amidamaru still looked sad.  
  
"Something doesn't feel right about this, Lord Yoh."  
  
"You're just a worrywart."  
  
//Cemetary across town//  
  
Manta sat on his mother's grave, racked with sobs, lost in his thoughts.  
  
His sobs became louder in the silent cemetary. Yoh didn't know about this cemetary, and thus hadn't been able to find Manta. Time had passed: it was sunset.  
  
::Mom...Dad...my classmates.Anna...Yoh...even Amidamaru! They all hate me!::  
  
Manta momentarily stopped sobbing as something in his pocket was preventing him from sitting comfortably. He pulled out a bottle.  
  
::Painkillers from the first aid kit...I must have accidentally put them in my pocket this morning...::  
  
Out loud, he said:  
  
"It's too bad painkillers can't stop my pain now..."  
  
Manta's brain began to think.  
  
::Or can they?::  
  
The tears stopped flowing as he looked at the bottle's warning label more closely. One sentence in particular caught his eye. 'Overdosing may result in coma or death.'  
  
Manta's sobs quieted as his brain went into motion. He suddenly became very solemn.  
  
::No one wants me around. My life is hell. I have nothing to live for.::  
  
Manta popped open the top of the bottle.  
  
::Maybe the afterlife will be better...::  
  
With this thought, Manta brought the bottle of pills to his mouth and poured them in, swallowing the entire bottle in three swallows.  
  
::Now all I do is wait for death to take me...::  
  
The sun faded from the sky at the same rate that Manta's strength left his body. As he finally lost consciousness, he whispered.  
  
"I-I'm sorry I was such...a failure...forgive me...Yoh..."  
  
With that, the eyes of Manta Oyamada closed for the last time, lying on his mother's grave.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Up next, Yoh's reactions. Until then, R+R! 


	3. Chapter 3

As per usual, I don't own Shaman King!  
  
****Meanwhile, three blocks from the cemetary****  
  
"I'm most worried, Lord Yoh. We've searched all day and we still haven't found Lord Manta!"  
  
Yoh, who himself was beginning to suspect something was wrong, responded.  
  
"It is weird how he wasn't at any of his usual haunts..."  
  
Just then, an idea struck Yoh.  
  
"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier! Amidamaru, do a fly-by of the city. You'll be able to find him from up there!"  
  
The spirit nodded and jumped into flight. But before he even started off in a direction, he sensed an accumulation of spirits. Looking in the direction of the force, he saw the cemetary that neither he nor Yoh had known of.  
  
"Lord Yoh! It appears this city has another cemetary we didn't know of!"  
  
Yoh looked surprised, then answered.  
  
"Let's head over there...maybe one of the spirits has seen him!"  
  
"It's just a bit north of here, on the next street on the left."  
  
Amidamaru landed besides Yoh and both took off in the direction of the cemetary.  
  
Yoh began thinking to himself.  
  
::I wish I hadn't done that stupid joke this morning. I didn't know Manta would take it so hard...::  
  
They reached the entrance to the cemetary just as the full moon began to rise, bathing the area in a ghostly pale light. Just then, a specter of a middle-aged samurai appeared from behind a gravestone.  
  
"What do you want?", asked Yoh.  
  
"You-you can see me?!"  
  
"Lord Yoh is a shaman, one who can manipulate ghost spirits."  
  
The middle-aged samurai looked up at the taller ghost, then screamed:  
  
"You! The fiend Amidamaru, the same that took my life! Do you come to leave me no rest in the afterlife as well?!"  
  
Amidamaru looked pale, even for a ghost. He sighed, then replied:  
  
"I have no time to act as the hero."  
  
Amidamaru dropped to his knees and bowed.  
  
"I beg your forgiveness...I had no choice."  
  
The other ghost was taken aback at the fierce warrior's sorrow, but was pleased by this, so Yoh asked:  
  
"Now that that's settled, we need to know if you've seen our friend."  
  
"Depends...we've only had one visitor today, and he looks to become a resident fairly soon."  
  
"What do you mean?!"  
  
"Go see for yourself. He lies on the gravestone at the far end of the cemetary, under that tree."  
  
The ghost pointed to a gnarled cherry blossom about two hundred feet away.  
  
Yoh and Amidamaru thanked the ghost for his help, then took off.  
  
What they saw when they looked behind the tree was a memory permanently burned into their minds.  
  
Lying face-down in a puddle of his own tears, Manta looked terrible. His arms and head sat on the ground in front of a tombstone that read "Keiko Oyamada".  
  
::Who could this woman be? Manta never mentioned a deceased female relative...::  
  
"Manta!"  
  
"Lord Manta!"  
  
Yoh ran to him and shook his shoulders.  
  
"Hey, wake up, Manta! I'm sorry about how we acted. It was just a stupid joke, okay? We're sorry."  
  
"Lord Yoh talked me into it, Lord Manta. I apologize for my behavior."  
  
Manta didn't respond.  
  
"Wake up, Manta. This isn't funny."  
  
As Yoh started shaking Manta again, he noticed something fall out of Manta's hand.  
  
"A bottle?"  
  
He read the label.  
  
"Painkillers?! What was Manta doing with painkillers?"  
  
"What are these 'painkillers', Lord Yoh?"  
  
"They're drugs that dull the nervous system and the brain so you won't feel pain."  
  
Then, Yoh realized something that made his blood run cold. Something that the ghost they'd met earlier had said struck his mind.  
  
"...he looks to become a resident fairly soon."  
  
Yoh put his ear to Manta's chest.  
  
He couldn't hear a heartbeat.  
  
"Amidamaru! Find the nearest phone!"  
  
"What's wrong, Lord Yoh?"  
  
"Manta's dying! I need to call an ambulance!"  
  
Yoh picked Manta up and carried him to a phone just half a block from the cemetary. He proceeded to call for an ambulance  
  
"How could this have happened, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru looked as sad as he'd ever been.  
  
Yoh had been very quiet.  
  
"Lord Yoh?"  
  
"My fault..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Manta tried to kill himself with those painkillers...because of my joke. My god-damned joke is going to kill my best friend!"  
  
"We're both to blame, Lord -"  
  
"Stop calling me that, Amidamaru! I don't deserve any title. Never call me 'Lord' again."  
  
Before the conversation could continue, the shriek of the ambulance siren was heard rapidly approaching.  
  
As the crew loaded Manta into the ambulance, Yoh made a request:  
  
"Please take me with you...I...need to make peace with him."  
  
The ambulance crew, not wanting to squander time with an argument allowed Yoh, as well as his ghost they couldn't see, on.  
  
The ambulance screamed to the hospital, and for the first night in memory, the crickets were silent.  
  
Again, I'm really sorry about the delay! Please R+R, I promise the next part will be even more Yoh-angsty! 


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, everyone! Now for the long-awaited chapter by the world's laziest author...I have to give credit to everyone that reviewed, particularly the one that cried...I didn't think that this work was that good, and I had planned to just abandon it. But no more.I'm going to take this to the finish now...  
  
So finally, here's the fourth chapter.  
  
The ambulance arrived at the hospital, where a flurry of paramedics rushed him into the ER. Yoh immediately jumped out and ran inside, followed closely by Amidamaru.  
  
Yoh tried to follow the group, but was restrained by the nurses, who were trying to calm him. They finally managed to get him to sit down in the lobby. One of the older nurses came over to try to reassure him, as well as get information on Manta.  
  
"It'll be okay, hon. Your friend has to go to the ER now. Does you know any family that we can contact? Any addresses or phone numbers you have would really be helpful now."  
  
Yoh was stricken speechless. He had just realized, for the very first time, how little he really knew about Manta. Manta had never spoken up about where he lived, or what his parents did for a living. The nurse's gentle shaking brought Yoh back to attention.  
  
"What's your relation to the patient?"  
  
Yoh almost couldn't answer...it felt like he was choking.  
  
"I'm...a...friend of his....or at least, I was."  
  
"Do you know who his parents are, or if he has any allergies?"  
  
Yoh answered, more disgusted with himself for not knowing such simple knowledge about the boy he claimed was his friend. He answered, shakily:  
  
"No...I'm sorry, I don't."  
  
"Okay...I let you know if anything happens."  
  
Amidamaru, who had been silent this entire time, finally made himself known.  
  
"Why did we never ask these things about him, Lord Yoh? It's like we didn't know anything about him..."  
  
"I don't think we really did, Amidamaru."  
  
Yoh held his face in his hands in a meager attempt to stop his tears from flowing, unsuccessfully.  
  
"He treated us like best friends, and I treated him like a stranger! How could I have done this?!"  
  
Yoh sobbed himself to sleep.  
  
******Five Hours later: 1 A.M.* *****  
  
"Hon? Hon? Wake up."  
  
The same nurse from before nudged Yoh's shoulder. Yoh woke up slowly, but then snapped to attention when he saw the nurse. Unable to control himself, he spoke much louder than she was expecting.  
  
"Is Manta okay?! Is he alive? Where is he?"  
  
"Calm down, hon. He just came out of surgery a couple of hours ago...we've got good news and bad news."  
  
Yoh sat on the edge of his seat, unbearably tense. Amidamaru materialized next to him, in nearly the same position.  
  
"The good news is, your friend is alive."  
  
Yoh literally jumped four feet into the air. Amidamaru became jubilant as well.  
  
"Unfortunately, the overdose in painkillers caused extensive damage to his nervous system..."  
  
Yoh and Amidamaru simultaneously froze.  
  
"He's in a coma...and there's no telling if he'll ever wake up."  
  
Their elation instantly converted to disbelief.  
  
"It...that can't be true. It just can't. Manta's my best friend! That can't happen!"  
  
The nurse hated to see such tragedies strike the young, but it still happened. She did her best to try to make them feel better.  
  
"He's stable now...would you like to visit him?"  
  
Yoh paused, then turned to Amidamaru.  
  
"I caused this...I need to make it right."  
  
The spirit responded:  
  
"It was my fault as well, so I shall also go."  
  
He finally responded to the nurse.  
  
"Yes...I have to see him."  
  
The nurse walked him down to the room that held their comatose friend.  
  
"He's in here...you have 30 minutes to stay before we have to close down the unit."  
  
Yoh thanked the nurse, and she left.  
  
He turned to Manta. The little boy that they knew to be the worrywart and bookworm now looked no more than a corpse. The machines that were attached to him particularly concerned Amidamaru.  
  
"Lord Yoh...what are these monstrosities attached to Lord Manta? They seem so wrong."  
  
"They're the only thing keeping him alive, Amidamaru. He's in a state of living death."  
  
Yoh's voice cracked...he simply couldn't say anymore. He just put his head in his hands. This was all his fault, and he knew that there was no way that he could ever call himself Manta's friend again.  
  
"What are YOU doing here?"  
  
Yoh looked up...to see the hovering spirit of Manta Oyamada floating over the lifeless body.  
  
Sorry to hit you with a cliffie after all this waiting, but wasn't it worth it? Review, people! 


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the continued interest in this fic...now, to chapter 5!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Ever.  
  
  
  
:::Shortly after Manta stabilized:::  
  
Manta's conciousness returned. He looked around at the bright hospital room around himself, and became even more depressed. He didn't notice that his body below him wasn't moving at all...the drugs were still affecting his system. His spirit was the one moving.  
  
:::I can't even kill myself right. Someone must have found me and dragged me into this hospital...:::  
  
Remembering the earlier events of the day, he realized how difficult it would be to face Yoh or his father after such a cowardly act as this.  
  
:::They're going to think I'm an even bigger idiot now...:::  
  
The separation between soul and flesh was still new, and was draining Manta's energy. He didn't know this was the cause, but still fell asleep.  
  
:::After end of Chapter 4:::  
  
For a few moments, complete and utter silence filled the white hospital room. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. The only thing that showed that time had not stood still was the rythemic beep of the heart monitor hooked to Manta's comatose body, which his spirit was hovering over.  
  
Yoh, in an overly loud voice, yelled:  
  
"MANTA?!!"  
  
The ghost of Amidamaru, no less astounded, chimed in.  
  
"Lord Yoh, how can this be?! Manta's not dead!"  
  
Manta realized then that the doctors had probably told the two about the painkillers in his system and that it was likely that he'd been trying to commit suicide. Manta immediately went to work trying to cover it up.  
  
"What are you talking about, Amidamaru? I...tripped and...went unconcious in the cemetary."  
  
Yoh, trying not to cry, replied.  
  
"We...both know that's not what h-happened, Manta."  
  
Amidamaru continued.  
  
"We found you lying at a tombstone. You had...tried to..."  
  
Yoh finished.  
  
"Kill yourself. And it was..."  
  
Yoh finally couldn't hold it in any longer. With a soft cry, his tears flowed down his face. His voice cracking.  
  
"My...fault."  
  
Manta was taken aback by this display of emotion, but was angry that this so-called friend had betrayed him in the first place.  
  
"Why are you so sad? Unless I've completely lost my memory, the last time you saw me you would rather be dead than be my friend!"  
  
Yoh was crying even more heavily now.  
  
"It was all a...joke, Manta."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just a terrible joke. We pretended to hate you. It was...all an act."  
  
Manta absorbed this information.  
  
"Just a...stupid act? You don't really hate me?"  
  
"Hate you? Manta, you're my best friend. I could NEVER, EVER hate you."  
  
"I don't hate you either, Lord Manta. I choose to help Lord Yoh, and for that, I'm sorry."  
  
Angrily, Manta shot back.  
  
"Why'd you do the stupid joke, then? You knew that I don't have any other friends."  
  
"I was stupid, Manta! I didn't think about how you'd feel."  
  
Yoh paused.  
  
"And now you're like this. And it's all my fault."  
  
Manta, still not aware he was a spirit, was curious.  
  
"What do you mean, 'like this.'"  
  
Yoh realized that Manta didn't know he wasn't in his body.  
  
"Look down, Manta."  
  
Puzzled by the bizarre request, Manta looked down at his own body for the first time.  
  
Cliffie yet again! How will Manta react to being a spirit? Can he get his body back? Or will he be stuck like this forever?  
  
Find out in the next thrilling installment! 


End file.
